Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution
Prices of Food Items
Government is aware of the prices of food items including vegetables, especially onions and tomatoes.
All India Daily Average Retail Prices of 22 essential food items including vegetables, onions and tomatoes during the last three years is Annexed. Prices of food items are inter-alia affected by mismatch in demand and supply, shortfall in production owing to adverse weather conditions and seasonality, increased transportation costs, supply chain constraints like lack of storage facilities, artificial shortage created by hoarding and black marketing, etc.
Government has taken various measures from time to time to stabilize prices of essential food items which, inter-alia, include appropriately utilizing trade and fiscal policy instruments like import duty and export management through instruments like Minimum Export Price, export restrictions, etc. to regulate domestic availability and moderate prices; imposition of stock limits and advising States for effective action against hoarders & black marketers. Also appropriate Minimum Support Price are promulgated to incentivize farmers for increasing production. Government is also implementing Schemes which, inter alia, include Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture , National Food Security Mission , etc. for increasing agricultural production and productivity through appropriate interventions. Besides, Government is also implementing Price Stabilization Fund  to help moderate the volatility in prices of agri-horticultural commodities like pulses, onion, and potato. Ministry of Food
Processing Industries  is implementing scheme “Operation Greens” for integrated development of Tomato, Onion and Potato  value chain which, inter alia, has the objective of price stabilization for producers and consumers through production planning in the TOP clusters and introduction of dual use varieties.
Government, on 29 September 2019, imposed stock limits on onion traders across the country – 100 quintals on retail traders and 500 quintals on wholesale traders under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955. Further, Government of India has urged State Governments to hold regular meetings with the traders of Onions at State and District level to prevent hoarding, speculative trading and profiteering, unfair and illegal trade practices like cartelling, etc.
ANNEXURE
ALL INDIA YEARLY AVERAGE RETAIL PRICES OF 22 ESSENTIAL FOOD ITEMS MONITORED BY DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS
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Year
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2016
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2017
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2018
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2019 (Till
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Commodity
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13.11.2019)
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Rice
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27.32
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29.23
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30.05
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31.38
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Wheat
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23.57
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23.90
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24.20
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26.60
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Atta 
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25.16
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26.24
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26.43
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28.12
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Gram Dal
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90.78
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87.28
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66.47
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65.89
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Tur/Arhar Dal
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131.72
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84.02
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71.07
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80.55
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Urad Dal
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136.95
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92.35
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70.83
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74.37
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Moong Dal
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94.55
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77.57
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73.46
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80.10
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Masoor Dal
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82.75
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70.32
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61.29
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62.61
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Groundnut Oil 
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130.99
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131.00
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125.79
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129.15
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Mustard Oil 
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109.47
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106.98
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106.16
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109.28
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Vanaspati 
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74.40
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77.71
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80.32
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80.15
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Soya Oil 
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82.61
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85.21
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89.34
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92.09
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Sunflower Oil 
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95.11
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93.10
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96.28
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99.45
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Palm Oil 
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68.58
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70.37
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76.68
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75.53
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Potato
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19.28
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14.94
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19.02
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17.93
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Onion
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16.79
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22.41
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23.64
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24.68
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Tomato
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26.01
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32.32
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21.82
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31.02
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Sugar
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38.62
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42.63
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38.92
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38.56
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Gur
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42.02
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44.72
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43.11
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43.93
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Milk 
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39.96
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41.58
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42.31
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43.57
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Tea Loose
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199.02
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202.76
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209.19
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211.84
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Salt Pack 
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14.98
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15.11
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15.22
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15.37
Source: - State Civil Supplies Deptt.
This information was given in a written reply by the Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Shri. Danve Raosaheb Dadarao in Rajya Sabha today.